“The Hidden Enemy” continues the Christophsis Arc and also shows us just how diverse the clones are in motivation and the full extent of the Separatist Threat. It is a great episode and it leaves things open too as the Battle for Christophsis still remains unfinished.

The episode was directed by Steward Lee and written by Drew Z. Greenberg who was also one of the writers on the first part of this arc in “Cat and Mouse.”

The story picks up with the Separatist Ground Invasion as the Clone troopers seek to mount a counteroffensive. Things go wrong when they are betrayed by one of their own leading Cody and Rex to find the informant while Obi-Wan and Anakin go to confront the Separatist leader. From here the story unfolds.

The Pros: The Clones – We see so much complexity in the clones in regards to their motivations and personalities. The fact that one is willing to betray the Republic to be free says a lot as well as the reasons Cody, Rex and the others choose to fight. They have distinct personalities too with some being nervous or shy and others being hardened and willing to confront their commanders forcefully…and even the twisted idealism of Slick.

The Separatist Threat – The Separatist Battle Droids and Tanks wipe the floor of the Clones to kick off this episode and we finally get to see them as a threat! They are never comedic relief really and the final shot of the huge army arriving on Christophsis really shows just how outmatched our heroes are in the coming battle.

Cody and Rex – Cody and Rex are great characters. We don’t know their personalities fully yet but they care deeply for their brothers and Slick’s words about them being slaves hits at least one of them. You can tell they don’t know fully why they fight except to protect other Clones who have no choice in the matter like them. It’s a sad state of affairs for them and you see that sadness, especially when Obi-Wan and Anakin choose to stay and fight rather than retreat and save lives.

Slick – Slick is the commander of the barracks and sold out Christophsis to the Separatists because he was tired of being a cog in the military machine. He has no freedom and is simply the property of the Republic. When he voices that it hits Cody and Rex too as they realize he is right to some degree. It’s a powerful episode and I hope we see more of Slick or clones like him.

Obi-Wan and Anakin – Obi-Wan and Anakin make a lot of jokes about going into a trap but manage to get out in time and realize that the longer they fight Ventress, the more likely Christophsis will fall, which leads to them retreating.

Ventress – Ventress makes her first appearance in the timeline of the 3D show and we see just how powerful she is. She isn’t a Sith but she is a powerful Dark Jedi and fulfills Dooku’s plan of stalling the Jedi until the forces could be landed really well. We see she has a history with Obi-Wan too as they have pet names they call one another. Together they are stronger than her but she is smart enough to stall them.

The quote that kicks off every episode is strong here. Why are the Clones fighting beyond programming when they are clearly slaves of the Republic and have no choice in battle. It’s a sad state of affairs and the Jedi just take them for granted. In this way the Separatist movement truly is one of independence since those who want power will be granted it. Dooku doesn’t betray the way Palpatine does and we see how far so many of those involved in the movement have risen while the Republic is already on the path towards the Empire. This was the perfect episode of the series for me and shows me just how great this show has the possibility of being.